1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for positioning a dilatation catheter during angioplasty and more particularly to apparatus that affords accurate positioning of the dilatation catheter in any selected coronary blood vessel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The following United States patents disclosed various forms of dilatation catheters: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,435,426; 4,271,839; 4,323,071 and 4,338,942. An article titled "A New Catheter System for Coronary Angioplasty" by Simpson et al, The American Journal of Cardiology, page 1216 (Apr. 1, 1982), contains a comprehensive description of the angioplasty procedure and describes a guiding catheter having a distal tip that can be shaped to facilitate positioning or guiding a catheter into a selected coronary blood vessel. As mentioned in The American Journal of Cardiology reference, the positioning of a dilatation catheter into the left anterior descending or left circumflex coronary artery requires substantial care and dexterity because such arteries intersect the main artery at a rather sharp angle.